1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair which applies auxiliary power to a wheel based on a torque applied to a hand rim.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known an electric wheelchair which assists an operation of a user by applying auxiliary power to the wheels in accordance with torques applied to hand rims by a user. In Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 11-342159, an agile operation of the electric wheelchair is achieved by quickly attenuating the auxiliary power to be applied to the wheels after a user releases the hand rims.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 11-342159, even after the user releases the hand rims and the auxiliary power is attenuated to zero, the electric wheelchair coasts for a while. In a case where the electric wheelchair is used in a room having a limited space, however, some users do not necessarily like such coasting and seek more agility for the electric wheelchair.